Grain harvester



May 8, 1923; 1,454,071

q. OWENS GRAIN HARVESTER Filed March 26. 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1 N V EN TOR.

A TTORNE Y.

May 8, 1923.

0. owENs GRAIN HARVESTER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 26, 1921 65 1171153 OWE/DZ W A TTORNEY.

INVENTOR.

Patented May 8, 1923.

UMTED PSTATES CHARLES OWENS, OF CHAT'IANOOGA, TENNESSEE. I

GRAIN HARVESTER.

Application filed. March 26, 1921. Serial No. 455,801.

To whom it concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES OWENS, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and resident of Chattanooga, in the county 'of Hamilton and 4 State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grain Harvesters, of which the following is a specification. v v

The invention concerns a. grain and seed harvester of thetype in which the threshing of the grain is done by the harvesting machine directly from the standing crop.

One object of the invention is to simplify the construction by avoiding the use of mechanical carriers, elevators and the like, and instead 'to utilize air pressure for separa'ting the grains from the. chafi and for conveying the grain and the chaif to their respective points of discharge.

The invention is shown in ing drawings in which Figure 1 is a plan view of theinvention combined with a tractor and hitched as a trailing implement, thereto.

- Fig. 2 is a side elevation of Fig, 1.

. Fig. 3 is a detail view of a supporting connection between the caster bar and the frame of the trailing implement.

Fig; '4 is a detail view.

Fig. 5 is a detail view of the usual means for tilting the binder frame around the axis of its support.

the accompany- In these drawings 1 1s a threshing ma chine cylinder mounted upon a shaft 1 which is driven by a belt 2 from a motor 3 mounted upon the rear part ofthe frame of the trailing implement. This trailing implement is connected with a trailing caster bar a which at its front end is hitched to the rear end of a tractor, indicated generally at A. This hitch may assume different forms but in the particular construction shown it consists of a cross bar a mounted between sides of the tractor and to which the trailing caster bar a is attached, the front end of this I caster bar being turned upwardly,'as indicated in Fig. ,2. This hitch will allow the caster bar to move freely up and down in a vertical plane, the rear end of the caster bar being supported by a caster wheel a".

A connection between the frame of the trailing implement and the caster bar '18.

provided,- indicated generally at B, which will permit certain flexibility between the frame of the trailing implement and the caster bar to accommodate the conformation 'at 5 and of the ground over which the implement is drawn. This connection will allow the implement to tip laterally, and the whole' frame of the implement may rise and fall under the action of the caster wheel rolling upon the round, and certain connections are provided y which the frame of the imple-- ment may be adjusted vertically to assume different distances from the ground as the height of the standing grain may require. This suspension or connecting device will be more fully described hereinafter.

The threshing cylinder is composed of projecting members 1 and these cooperate with a fixed grid 4 to thresh the grain from the standing stalks. A roller 6 is provided at the front end of the grid and over this roller the stalks of the grain are bent as the machine progresses forwardly and this action is due also to the effect of air blasts issuing from a pipe 17 extending in front of blasts rearwardly and downwardly, so that the heads of the standing grainwill be forced into the casing 5 which surrounds the threshing cylinder, so that these heads will be acted on by the projections 1 and the grain will be severed from the stalks, the said projections 1, as before stated, cooperating with the grid 4 for this purpose. The casing 5 is provided with a grain pocket rom this a pipe 8 extends upwardly to the casing 7 of a suction fan. The pipe 8 discharges into the fan casing axially and laterally thereto, and the action ofthe'fan is to cause a separation between the threshed grain and the chaff, and these separated elements are then discharged through a; pipe line 9 leading from the fan casing 7 to a rotary sieve 10. This sieve is designed to sep- 1 arate the grain or seed from the chaff. The

chaflt' is finally discharged through a pipe 11. The rotary sieve is containe within a steel housing 12 and this housing is provided with a grain pocket at b. This pocket extends under the sieve and hasa discharge end or chute 13 forthedelivery of the grain ontoa platform 15, where the grain maybe sacked as it is discharged from the chute 13. The grain is delivered through the pocket 6 by a worm conveyor, indicated at 14.

The air supply to the pipe 17 is furnished by a pipe 16 extending from the top of the fan casing 7. The pipe 17 has openings at regular intervals in such relation to the heads of the grain and the exposed portion of the cylinder 1 and grid 4 as to direct .the heads by thepressure of the air into the casing of the threshing'cylinder as before stated. a a

.This casing is provided with an adjustable portion 18 having a handle.19, so that the operator may expose more or less of the threshing cylinder, and to insure a ready entrance of the heads of the grain into the casing of the cylinder.

A grain wheel is indicated at C, this being mounted in a bearing 0 vertically adjustable in a bracket (Z depending from one of the frame bars of the apparatus, and this bearing may be adjusted vertically by a link 6 connected thereto, and to a lever f which is within convenient reach of an attendant, so that the height of the frame from the ground may be changed to accord with the height of the standing grain.

A segment is provided at g which cooperates with a pawl in the ordinary manner for lockingthe adjusting parts in the desired positions. The connection between the frame of the implement and the trailing caster bar comprises a sleeve 13 mounted on the caster bar between collars fixed thereon so that the sleeve may turn on thecaster bar to allow the platform or frame of the implement to tip laterally to'accommodate itself to uneven ground. This pivotal bearing or sleeve is adjustably connected with the platform organizationto regulate the position of the threshing cylinder and the air blast appliance in relation to the ground to accord with the heights of the standing grain. F or this purpose the sleeve or pivotalbearing 13 has an upwardly extending standard portion 15 with a transversely extending sleeve or hearing 16 at its upper end i in which is mounted the ordinary bull wheel shaft 17*, carrying, as usual, pinions 18 at its ends engaging withthe usual racks 19 connected with the platform organization of the implement. This shaft 17 is in the position ordinarily occupied by the shaft of the bull wheel, and in fact this shaft is the bull wheel shaft itself, minus the gear wheel commonly employed thereon for driving certain mechanism of a binder, and the mounting of this shaft by means of the racks is in accordance with the usual practice. This shaft 17*, therefore, instead of being sustained at a distance above the ground by a bull wheel, as in ordinary practice, is sustained-by the caster wheel and trailing caster bar, which supports the sleeve 13 and standard 15".

The shaft 17 has a worm wheel 20 turned by aworm 21 from a shaft 22* and suitable handle by which the operator can adjust the height of the platform. at this end in rela tion to theground by raising or lowering the racks. This adjusting mechanism, in connection with the adjustment above described for the grain wheel, will enable the frame -of the implement to be set at the desired heights from the ground to accord with the heights of the standing crop. The implement is self-contained in that the power for performing the several operations is. derived from the motor mounted on the implement itself. It will be noted that all of the parts are driven rotatively and no reciproeating members are employed. The threshing of the grain takes place directly from the standing stalks. The pressure of air is employed for carrying out the several .operations and as conveying means, thus dispensing with the canvas carriers and elevators usually employed. The screw conveyor 14 is driven from the motor 3 through connections indicated at 3 and the rotary sieve is driven from the shaft of the screw conveyor through suitable gearing, indicated generally at 14*.

The threshing of the grain takes place while the stalk is standing, and not as in previous practice, where the head is first separated from the st lk and thereafter the grain is separated from the head. Consequently, in my apparatus, after the standing grain comes in contact with the threshing cylinder, the operations concern chiefly the separation of the chaff from the grain.

The cylinder and grid may be of the standard character employed in a regular threshing machine.

relative to the varying height of the grain.

I claim:

1. In combination, a main frame having a caster wheel at its rear end, an auxiliary frame mounted upon the main frame and extending laterally thereto, a threshing cylinder and concave mounted on the auxiliary frame at its forward end, the cylinder and concave having an absolutely'free and unobstructed grain entrance to their threshingfield of action, the auxiliary frame being supported at its outer end by a grain wheel, means for raising and lowering theauxil iary frame vertically in its relation to the main frame and means fortilting the auxiliary frame on the axis of itsv vertical rais ing and lowering means, the said tilting means being under thex.control of the openator as the machine is traveling, so as toadjust the position of the threshing cylinder and concave to the varying height ofgrain.

2. In combination, amain frame having a v caster Wheel at its rearward end, an aux- 5 iliary frame mounted upon the main frame and extending laterally thereto, a threshing cylinder and concave mounted on the auxiliary frame, thecylinder and concave having a free and unobstructed grain entrance 10 to their field of action, means for feeding the ain within the field of action, the said ceding means being the suction provided by the cylinder itself in conjunction with frame vertically in its relation to the main frame, a grain wheel at the outer end of the auxiliary frame, means for tilting the auxiliary frame on its tilting axis, said tilting means being under the control of the operator while the machine is in op,- eration.

In testimony whereof, I aflix mysignature.

CHARLES OWENS. 

